By Mark Grundy

February 28, 2011

The monthly digital-only financial title will launch on May 3 at Creating Climate Wealth Summit, DC and will be available to a select group of C-suite executives in Europe, USA and Asia. The title will have an exclusive distribution into the heart of key decision makers at some of the world’s most progressive companies, inter-governmental and non-governmental organizations. The magazine will be produced in multiple formats for subscribers through online, iPad, Tablet and smart phone editions.

With an initial 167,250 readers per month, we want Creating Climate Wealth to become the leading green business digital magazine distributed directly to entrepreneurs and C-suite executives using Carbon War Room’s membership database and become available by subscription on iPad. Our readers are affluent, influential, decision makers, future shapers, international professionals and investors.

Creating Climate Wealth focuses on working with entrepreneurs and industry to reduce carbon emissions that make good business sense and benefit both the industry and the environment almost immediately. The magazine will focus on seven main sectors—Electricity, Transport, the Built Environment, Industry, Land Use, Emerging Economies and Carbon Management, and will  feature:

• regular news and event updates from Carbon War Room operations
• an in-depth look at Carbon War Room operations: shipping, energy efficiency and aviation
• thought-leadership from Carbon War Room founders, board members and C-suite
• research reports on gigaton-scale reduction opportunities and new clean technologies
• profiles on the latest and most promising clean tech investment opportunities
• and articles by some of the world’s best journalists on clean tech

Richard Branson will launch the magazine with an in-depth article on why he set up the Carbon War Room, and his vision for creating climate wealth and bringing economic prosperity to economies across the globe.

The first edition will incorporate the Creating Climate Wealth Summit program and be available in hard copy at the event.

Consistent with the plan to visit all Wave 1 cities by the end of the third quarter, Operation Lead Murat Armbruster and Tony Paulson (Senior Finance Director) set off earlier this month to visit our Wave 1 European cities, London and Copenhagen. During this trip, Murat and Tony were also able to meet with current and potential sponsors for the Green Capital Global Challenge (GCGC) as well as to recruit participation for the Wave 2 process.

In Copenhagen, the team was hosted by Claus Bjørn Billehøj, and Signe Gaarde of the City of Copenhagen’s Center for Sustainable City Development, and spent three days in meetings with key stakeholders in the city, members of the finance team and members of the utility.  During their time in Copenhagen, Murat and Tony also managed a visit with Nokia at their city headquarters.

In London the team had an equally packed visit with three full days in meetings hosted by Emma Strain, head of London’s Energy Efficiency Project Development. In addition, Murat and Tony met with several stakeholder agencies within the government as well as senior members of the banking community, such as Deutsche Bank.

Both cities are progressing well in their Energy Efficiency programs. The CWR team’s expertise was very much sought to help refine the financing model that would facilitate broad participation of private capital.

This trip helped to clarify the team’s understanding of both the barriers cities face and the successful practices cities are using. The team also identified where the Carbon War Room can provide the most input and value, while also forging a relationship with key stakeholders in each city. The trip centered on the premise that understanding the internal and external dynamics of each city and/or program helps to shed light on key levers that can help each city move forward.

Civic and Entrepreneurial Action on Climate Change is boosted by Cities from Around the World Joining a Challenge to Create Low Carbon Prosperity

WASHINGTON, April 28 /PRNewswire/ – The Carbon War Room, a non-profit organization that harnesses the power of entrepreneurs to implement market-driven solutions to climate change, today announced the first wave of cities selected to participate in the Green Capital Global Challenge.

Participant cities were selected from across the United States, Canada and Europe, after the Carbon War Room received an overwhelming number of applications from cities around the world.  They include:  Atlanta, Babylon (New York), Burlington (Vermont),Charleston (South Carolina), Chicago, Gainesville (Florida), New York City, Portland(Oregon), San Francisco, Washington D.C., Toronto, Vancouver, London, Birmingham(England), and Copenhagen.

“In this time of uncertainty around the ability and resolve of governments to lead the planet to low-carbon prosperity, it is up to businesses and cities to step up and assume responsibility,” said Sir Richard Branson, Co-Founder of the Carbon War Room.  ”Mayors are the entrepreneurs of the civic world who realize their pivotal role in the fight against climate change.”

Many participating mayors around the world echoed Sir Branson’s sentiments, citing this as a tremendous opportunity for their cities to engage in a healthy competition that will be a key step in moving many of their pioneering initiatives forward – ranging from green building initiatives and renewable energy programs to achieving full carbon neutrality.  Moreover, all mayors agreed that this is an initiative that will reduce energy costs, create green jobs that will improve their economic competitiveness, and, most importantly, improve the quality of life of their citizens.

“These cities are committed to taking immediate action to be a part of a movement that will create jobs, help local economies thrive, and green cities around the world,” saidJigar Shah, Chief Executive Officer of the Carbon War Room.  ”These cities, along with many others that applied for the first wave, have pioneering sustainability visions, but they cannot do it on their own.  The Carbon War Room is committed to working with them to create the mechanisms that will allow cities and the private sector to work together to make these visions a reality.”

“We were inspired by the quality and quantity of nominations in the selection process,” said Peter Boyd, Director of Operations of the Carbon War Room.  ”We will be working hard alongside the first wave of cities to help connect them with the private capital they need to improve energy efficiency of their buildings, and create jobs in their cities.”